


A Familial Twist

by Afoolforatook, alphaparrot, Amber_Aglio, BrianneABanana, delta_altair, Nemomo, satariraine, StoryWeaverKirea, TesseractTown, TheCraftyNinjaCat, thedarkpoet, Victorious56



Category: RWBY
Genre: Christmas, Family, Food, Games, M/M, Rated for minor swearing, nonsense-game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:48:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25281118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Afoolforatook/pseuds/Afoolforatook, https://archiveofourown.org/users/alphaparrot/pseuds/alphaparrot, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amber_Aglio/pseuds/Amber_Aglio, https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrianneABanana/pseuds/BrianneABanana, https://archiveofourown.org/users/delta_altair/pseuds/delta_altair, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nemomo/pseuds/Nemomo, https://archiveofourown.org/users/satariraine/pseuds/satariraine, https://archiveofourown.org/users/StoryWeaverKirea/pseuds/StoryWeaverKirea, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TesseractTown/pseuds/TesseractTown, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCraftyNinjaCat/pseuds/TheCraftyNinjaCat, https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedarkpoet/pseuds/thedarkpoet, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Victorious56/pseuds/Victorious56
Summary: Location - PatchPrompt - ChristmasA boisterous family Christmas gives Qrow and Clover the chance to draw closer together... in more ways than one.-------------------We played a digital version of the Nonsense Game. This is where the starting writer had a location and theme, began a story and then hid all but a few sentences for the following author to pick up and write the next part of the story. Over the course of 12 days, the group created 12 stories with 12 writers adding to each one, varying from 1 word to 350 words or so, with the last writer adding up to 600 words to finish out the story.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15
Collections: The Nonsense Game





	A Familial Twist

**Author's Note:**

> **Writers in order:**   
> 
> 
>   1. TesseractTown
>   2. Nemomo
>   3. BrianneABanana
>   4. Afoolforatook
>   5. thedarkpoet
>   6. TheCraftyNinjaCat
>   7. satariraine
>   8. delta_altair
>   9. alphaparrot
>   10. Amber_Aglio
>   11. StoryWeaverKirea
>   12. Victorious56
> 


* * *

"Uncle Qroooooooooow!" Ruby yells as she bursts through the door early that morning, she looks down to see Clover sitting up as well.

"And Good Morning to you too Uncle Clover, sorry I didn't announce you when I burst in here, but it's almost tradition I yell Uncle Qrow's name!"

Clover chuckles and looks to Ruby, "It's alright, did Tai or someone of the sorts make breakfast for everyone? Or are we just skipping all the breakfast part?"

Ruby smiles and turns around to run out the door, "We are having breakfast first! Dad made pancakes!"

Ruby races out the door and Clover and Qrow look to each other then to the door as they shrug.

"Better get going," Clover says as he climbs out of bed to change into his clothes.

They walk downstairs where they are greeted by everyone looking up to them, and Yang looking like she was about to start a food fight.

"What are we doing today? Anything interesting?"

"Merry Christmas you two!" Summer exclaims as she runs over and quickly hugs the both of them, "I hope you have gifts for us… otherwise, we are never letting you live this down."

Qrow smirks, "Oh, I know I have the _best_ gift for you Sum, just you wait and see."

Summer puts a pouting face on for a moment, "I'll be disappointed if it isn't as good as you say then."

Tai walks into the room next, setting the plates of pancakes on the dining table and sits down at the table. Everyone soon follows.

This year for Christmas, all of Team RWBY was here, along with Team STRQ. Clover also tagged along with Qrow.

While Team RWBY had seemed to quiet down as they scarf down their pancakes, Tai on the other hand would just not shut up.

"Any ideas? Any plans? Or are we just going with whatever happens whenever."

* * *

"Brothers, Tai!" The silver-eyed, cheerful woman exclaimed. "Stop asking! You know very well what we're going to do. We do it every year, it's not like it's a surprise anymore."

"Yeah, Tai. You're not funny," continued Qrow with a smile.

_Gasp._

The Xiao Long honor and integrity had been unfairly covered in dirt at this moment. The blonde would not and could not let a humiliation that big ruin his holidays. He finally had time to spend with his family, for gods' sake.

"You shut up, old bird."

Ah. A bird insult. How original.

Qrow didn't give a shit anymore. Or if he ever so slightly did, he didn't let it show.

No shit was ever given when it was Tai anyway, so no big deal there. But it was always fun to feign being offended.

"Oh, hey! I'm only a few months older than you, I'll have you know, so don't get too used to the age jokes. And don't worry, you'll get grey soon too, don't be jealous."

"How dare you—"

"Brother. Summer, Tai. Please."

Raven was standing in the middle of the room, the scary Branwen aura all around her. She angrily eyed each and everyone of the people present, before slamming a hand on the nearest thing she could slam a hand on (in this case, a poor, lonely, wobbly table). She finally let out, in her most impactful tribe leader voice:

"Food is ready."

So obviously, everyone shut up and followed the wild bird lady to wherever she was gonna take them. Except not everyone did, because Qrow and Clover wanted to have a little private conversation before heading to the feast.

* * *

"So," Clover asked, "is there anything I need to prepare myself for before we sit down to eat?"

Qrow chuckled, "Now you're catching on Lucky Charm. Yea, meals like these can get wild. Yelling across the room, passing food via throwing, and fights over the last of the more sought after pieces of the meal. It's not unlike how the kids were in Atlas during mealtimes."

"Then how do you suggest I handle the chaos?" Clover asked almost studiously, like he was preparing for another great war.

Qrow hummed, taking the younger man's hand in his and peeking at him through his eyelashes. "Well, think about it like you would any other mission. You have a task to complete: gathering food and consuming it; a secondary task of protecting that process: not letting anyone get what you want before you and stopping stray food from invading your plate; and a way in which you go about your tasks: working with and around others to compliment them and help them to complete a shared goal."

He smiled and squeezed Clover's hands, "Don't sweat it sweetheart. You know the kids and their habits well, and the rest of the family isn't much different. No matter what goes down, I'll be right there next to you if you need support."

The hands in his own squeezed back, and Clover laid a quick kiss on Qrow's cheek. "Thank you Qrow, It feels good to know that my lovebird has my back."

"Always." Qrow replied. "Now, let's march forth into delicious battle! I have a good feeling that I'll finally get the best slice of dessert tonight!"

Clover laughed heartily with Qrow as they entered the dining room hand in hand.

* * *

The room was a loud, familiar, pleasant chaos. The kids were already seated, though only a few of them were actually sitting in their seats. Yang was leaning over and watching Blake's scroll intently. Ruby looked like she'd have Jaune in a friendly headlock any moment. Nora was stretching, trying to reach the food already set out, while Ren held her back by the scruff of her neck.

Weiss turned to look as they entered, raising a brow as if pleading that they help wrangle her peers.

* * *

Qrow suppressed a laugh. There was no way he was getting involved in the boisterous crowd; Weiss was on her own.

He settled into a comfortable armchair at the edge of the room, Clover at his side. The space was warm and welcoming, golden light hanging in the air. He had no idea where Taiyang had dug up enough furniture to seat everyone.

Tucked away in the corner, they were mostly isolated from the chaos of the meal. Clover braved the kitchen long enough to fetch them some of Blake's casserole. He came back with a rueful expression and a side plate of Weiss's rather forbidding looking salad.

"She wouldn't let me leave without it," he said sadly.

"It looks... healthy?" Qrow asked. Mostly it looked spiky.

"I'll sacrifice myself to test it." Clover stuffed a large forkful in his mouth, then swallowed painfully, forcing his face into a rictus grin when Weiss glanced in their direction.

"Delicious," he choked.

"Uh huh." Qrow grinned. He grabbed the other fork and reached slowly for the salad, but Clover gripped his hand.

"Don't," Clover whispered. "It's not worth it."

* * *

"... you're the boss, lucky charm," Qrow said, raising his hands in defeat.

A joke Yang told made Clover turn away for a split second, which was enough for Qrow to grab a hearty helping of salad without him noticing. Tai and the girls were probably overreacting when they tasted it earlier. He wasn't just going to let food go to waste, after all.

When Clover looked back, Qrow was inches away from eating a large forkful of salad.

"Qrow, _don't,"_ he quietly warned a second time, "I'm telling you this because I love you and care about your wellbeing."

His gaze darted between the fork and Qrow, who looked him right in the eye as he shovelled the leaves into his mouth.

_"Qrow!"_

He immediately choked, both on the salad going down the wrong pipe as he ate it too fast and the overwhelming bitterness that filled his mouth. Holy _shit,_ was it bad. If his nieces managed to stuff up making a _salad,_ he was scared to find out what the rest of the meal held.

Clover had gotten over his initial shock, and was now trying to bite back laughter as he whacked Qrow on the back to get the salad out of his lungs. Tai's loud guffaws filled the air from the other side of the table, and Ruby and Yang failed to stifle their giggling.

"Alright, you girls are staying out of the kitchen next year," Tai declared, his tone unusually proud.

* * *

"Yeah, sure, good luck with that," Qrow commented. His faux offended tone fooled no one at the table, least of all his two laughing nieces who only laughed harder when Tai sent them a look that tried not at all to be authoritative.

"Before we continue eating, is anything else on the table meant to come with a warning?" Tai asked his girls. Yang, who had managed to calm herself, merely met her father's smile with a grin of her own. Ruby was still giggling behind her napkin.

As their conversation continued, Clover shook his head, attempting to hide his smile as he took a sip of his water. Their sense of familiarity, a warm touch of comfort; it's something he's missed for years now. A quick glance across the table told him Blake was failing to hide her own smile, her words to Weiss too hushed for him to pick up on. He turned his attention back to Qrow, amused at the sight of Qrow's fond grin.

"Something tells me this isn't the first time someone's been banned from the kitchen," Clover remarked, not bothering to hide his smile as Qrow turned to face him.

Raising his hands in mock surrender, Qrow grinned. "At least there wasn't a fire this time."

At that, Tai's groan stretched across the table. " _Please_ don't go there, Qrow."

* * *

"Please _do_ go there!" Ruby exclaimed, cackling as Tai threw a half-hearted glare in her direction.

"Look," Qrow drawled, "all I'll say is that someone on team STRQ had a reputation for fires, and it wasn't me."

"You're right," Tai shot back. "You had a reputation for breaking every piece of glassware at Beacon!"

The table exploded with laughter. Qrow even joined in after an exaggerated eye-roll. Clover caught his gaze and grinned, delighting in the way Qrow's expression lit up around his family.

"Anyway," Tai said, cutting through the last lingering giggles. He raised his glass of water. "To family, old and new."

A series of "Cheers!" rang out across the table, and everyone dug in. The food was _incredible_. A cavalcade of stories, from embarrassing to heartwarming, bounced around the table as they ate. Eventually the dinner came to an end, everyone at the table positively stuffed.

"That was so goooood," Ruby groaned, "I feel like I could sleep for days."

"Well I'm glad you liked it so much! But you can go into a food coma after you help me clean up," Tai said, standing.

Yang snickered as Ruby let out another groan before grudgingly helping her father and sister clear away the table. Clover stood and began to shuffle plates together, but Tai quickly waved him away.

"Nope, you're our guest, go sit down! Qrow too, we can handle this."

"Oh, no," Clover began, "Really I don't mind helping!"

A swift declaration for Clover to sit down came from Tai and Yang before they retreated into the kitchen. Ruby, balancing several plates in her hands, glanced back at him as she followed. "You're our guest, Uncle Clover! Take a load off!"

Clover stared at the kitchen door longer after Ruby disappeared into it. Qrow came to his side, one hand in his pocket and the other resting at the small of Clover's back. He gave Clover a wry smile.

"Did…" Clover blinked. "Did she just…?"

* * *

"Hmm?" Qrow asked.

Clover cocked his head to the side. "I think Ruby just called me Uncle Clover," he said.

Qrow's face immediately colored, his ears matching the red of his cape. "Oh, uh, yeah, you know, the girls, they like you…" he said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "I… I can tell them to cool it, if that's too weird…"

"Hey, hey, no," Clover said, pulling Qrow in close for a kiss. He lingered in the kiss, grounding himself in the feel of Qrow's body against his own, and the warmth of Qrow's lips. "They're sweet kids," he said, as he drew back from the kiss. "It was unexpected, is all."

Qrow opened his eyes, his cheeks flushed an even deeper red. "Oh," he said. "That's good, then."

Clover took Qrow's hand, and drew him over to the couch. "Besides," he said, as he sank into the cushions, pulling Qrow down with him, "I kind of like how it sounds."

Qrow chuckled and nestled his head into Clover's neck, planting a soft kiss on Clover's jaw. "That's good," he murmured. They lay there, snuggling happily, while the sounds of dishes clinking in the sink and Ruby and Yang's giggles floated in from the kitchen.

Clover was just about to drift off to sleep, when suddenly Qrow sat upright. Clover's eyes snapped open, and he pushed himself up off the couch with one arm. Qrow was staring at him, eyes wide.

"Qrow?" he asked, heart pounding. "Everything okay?"

"You… you do?" Qrow asked.

Clover stared at Qrow, not comprehending. "I do what?" he asked.

"You said you liked how it sounded. 'Uncle Clover'," Qrow replied.

Clover exhaled in relief, and laughed. "Oh, Qrow, I thought there was a problem," he said, pulling Qrow back down to the couch. He gently caressed Qrow's cheekbone with the back of his hand. "I like your nieces," he said. "I like the idea of being their uncle."

Qrow's cheeks were hot and flushed, his wide red eyes locked with Clover's. "But that means," he breathed softly, "you like the sound of you… you and me being…"

* * *

He raised his hand to grab Clover's hand at his face, squeezing it tightly, nearly painfully as he struggled with words. He swallowed, looking at Clover with a desperate need, as if unable to actually be the one to say the terrifying (humbling, exciting) word, and Clover could do nothing but pull him closer into a comforting hug. Qrow went willingly, relief obvious in the way his whole body slumped forward.

"Being a family?" Clover guessed, trying to keep his voice quiet and soft despite a mighty desire to scream at the world just how much he wanted it. Qrow nodded and tensed slightly, as if still expecting it to be rejected, as if they hadn't already come all this way together.

"Qrow, I wouldn't just _like_ it. I would be honored to be a part of this family. To be your… well, whatever you'd have me as." He could feel Qrow's breath hitch and hugged him harder.

"All I had was my duty to the military, but it was you who showed me there are things that matter more. You reminded me why I became a Huntsman in the first place, and your kids reminded me that we always have a choice to follow what we believe in." He carded fingers through Qrow's hair, as much to calm him down as to ground himself, and added, "Why wouldn't I want to be an uncle to them and, well… yours?"

* * *

Qrow started wide eyed at Clover as his words sank in. He almost couldn't believe it, Clover wanted to be a part of his family, Clover wanted to be with him, Clover loved him! He felt tears stinging his eyes but they were of pure overwhelming joy at the love he felt for the other man. He took the hand brushing through his hair into his own and smiled.

"I want to be yours too Clover." He said as he brought Clover's hand to his lips and softly kissed it.

Clover smiled the brightest Qrow had ever seen as he leaned in to place a gentle kiss on the shapeshifter's temple. Adoration was in his eyes as he pulled away but then he came in close again to hug Qrow tightly as if to say he would never leave him.

* * *

Their tender moment was interrupted by Ruby, cannoning into the two men as if all of Remnant's Grimm were after her.

"Slow down, kiddo! Where's the fire?"

"Uncle Qrow, Uncle Clover! Time for Christmas Day games!"

Ruby did not notice the shared look of horror which passed between the two men, over her head.

"What sort of games?" Clover's voice was apprehensive. Perhaps some family card games— that he could cope with. As long as it wasn't Charades…

"Yang found something called a Twister mat, apparently you used to play it when you were younger, and Dad couldn't stop laughing when he saw it."

Clover's eyebrows raised enquiringly as he looked at Qrow. "Twister? What's that?"

"Oh it's great fun, Dad said you loved playing it when you were…" Her voice tailed off at the sight of Qrow's face.

"Kiddo, that was _years_ ago. We're all a lot older, and wiser, now."

"Aw, c'mon Qrow." Clover had observed the disappointment in Ruby's face. "What harm can it do? Christmas is all about having fun with the family, right?"

"Yeah, it is!" Ruby jumped up and down, clinging on to Clover's arm. "Bring him in, Uncle Clover. I'll go and help Yang." She rushed back into the living room, shouting, "They're coming!"

Qrow looked at Clover's face, unable to stop the grin widening on his own. "So you've never played Twister? Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"I'm sure it'll be fun. It's like a dance thing, or something, right?"

"Yeah, that's right." Qrow turned away, suppressing a chuckle.

Half-an-hour later, Clover realised what he _should_ have done. Pleaded over-eating, old-age, _anything._ But no, he had to be eager to join in. And now, with his face pressed against Tai's butt, his legs crossed impossibly behind him, and Qrow arched over him like a gods-forsaken gymnast, Clover finally realised the true meaning of Christmas.


End file.
